​Technologies are changing our lives in a way never previously expected. Face recognition and GPS systems are rapidly becoming an everyday part of our lives.

A customer uses a facial scanner to pay the bill. (image: Chinanews.com)

Face Recognition Integrated with Commercial Use

China's e-commerce giant Alibaba has recently launched the world's first facial recognition payment technology at a KFC restaurant in Hangzhou for those who forget to bring cash or phone. It takes approximately 10 seconds for a costumer to pay their bill using the facial recognition service, greatly increasing payment efficiency.

Data shows that the market size of the facial recognition industry in China exceeded 1 billion yuan ($153.3 million) in 2016, and is estimated to reach 5.1 billion yuan by 2021.

However, the future of such payment service still depends on safety assessments by supervision departments, and the aided validation process limits its convenience, so it is difficult to promote the application of the technology widely, Li Junhui, a researcher at the China Institute of Political Science and Law, noted.

Similarly, face recognition has been applied in other services. Beijing Normal University used two face-scanning machines for student registration on the first day of the new semester.

After scanning a student's face for two seconds, a digital photo with the student's name, student ID, and major is created. Students can share the digital photo online with their family and friends, and they can also print it out for free.

The face identification technology will be further used to control access to student dormitories. Students will be required to swipe their cards and use facial recognition to gain access. If they forget their student cards, they can speak their names into the machine, which has a sound recognition function, or enter their student ID and password. Then they still have to scan their faces to gain access.​Ma Liang, a doctoral student said the newly installed system will increase security. "People who don't live in the building will not be able to get in even if they have student cards," Ma said.

The Agricultural Bank of China is piloting facial recognition scanners on two of its ATM machines in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou province.

The scanners feature infrared cameras that can tell a real human face apart from pictures and masks. In addition to scanning their faces, users will have to type in their cell phone and ID numbers to get the money. They can withdraw a maximum of 3,000 Yuan per day through facial recognition ATMs.

The Agricultural Bank already has these scanners at 37 of its bank counters across China, aiming to have facial scanners installed on all of its ATM machines across Guizhou by the end of this year.​The scanners are also featured at the Merchants Bank's ATM machines in 106 cities across China.

Apart from face recognition technologies, the development of GPS system has made it possible to track and protect left-behind rural children as long as they wear a smart wristband with GPS.

Bijie city and Qianxinan Buyi and Miao autonomous prefecture in Guizhou have spent around 24 million yuan ($3.6 million) to provide such wristbands for more than 100,000 left-behind children in primary schools, according to Liu Zhongping, deputy head with the provincial department of civil affairs.

The wristband installed with a GPS locator and linked with local police databases allows children to report in emergencies, then policeman can track their location and check on them.

Zeng Ke, deputy county chief of Qianxi in Bijie, said more than 8,000 left-behind children in primary schools in the county had obtained the wristbands.​Nationwide, China has more than 60 million children in rural areas who are left with relatives, usually grandparents, as their parents are away from home often working better-paid jobs in the cities. These children are easy victims of tragedy such as murder, trafficking and suicide.